The Lost Robe of Happiness
by upwindashley56
Summary: Mia can't stand being without it... Maybe Isaac can help her get it back!  pairing is IsaacXMia, aka Mudshipping! yay     please read and review!


**upwind: hello! welcome to my first published fic after... *does counting on fingers* 7 years! O.O wow, that was WAY too long... and my last story isn't up here anymore T_T**

**chibi sephiroth: ... you took it down, remember? you didn't have the time to finish it**

**upwind: *whacks him on the head* i know that!**

**CSeph: *rubs head, tears welling in eyes* owie...**

**chibi Cloud: hey! *hugs CSeph* don't hit him, he's just trying to help!**

**upwind: shut up, you... *glares menacingly, watches CSeph and CCloud cower in fear, then turns back to adoring public* anyway, I hope you like this, it's the first one I've done in a while, and I KNOW the ending is cheesy and cliche! it's supposed to be! .**

**DISCLAIMER: i own nothing, Golden Sun belongs to Camelot Soft. If I owned Golden Sun, well... things... would be different *laughs manaically* anyway, enjoy!**

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Mia sighed. Isaac looked over at her, an eyebrow raised in curiosity, wondering why the blue-haired girl had sounded so… dismal. He walked over to her and sat down next to her at her place around the fire. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and waited for her to turn her head toward him. It took her another five minutes to look around at him. As he opened his mouth to speak, he was caught unawares by her somber look, almost as if she would burst into tears any moment. He kissed her forehead lightly.

"Is anything wrong, Mia?" he asked. She plopped her head onto his shoulder, obviously upset about something.

"Isaac? Remember when we sold my Oracle's Robe at the market in Izumo because we found this Triton's Ward in Treasure Isle?" she asked.

"Yes… but what does that have to do with you acting all depressed?" Isaac was really worried now. How in the world could she be depressed about a set of robes that she had been wearing since Venus Lighthouse…?

"Well… can we go back and get it back?" Tears were starting to well up in her eyes. Isaac started to say something when she sobbed quietly into his Valkyrie Mail. He held her close and shushed her.

"Mia, why did you sell it if you liked it that much?" He stroked her hair while she continued to sob uncontrollably.

"I didn't know I'd miss it that much! I just wish I hadn't agreed to sell it for 9450 coins! We have to go back and get it…" Mia was almost hysterical. Isaac hadn't seen her this upset about a garment since Jenna had tried to get her to sell the Cocktail and Floral Dresses Isaac had won for her in Tolbi in Contigo before they left. If she was this upset about it, they _had_ to go back and get it, even if it meant splitting up again and meeting up in Prox. "Can we _please_ go back?" She looked at him with a kicked puppy look on her face, and he knew he couldn't say no. Jenna was pissed that he had chosen Mia, even though she was happy enough with Garet and wouldn't have cared as much if he and Mia hadn't told everyone they had been dating since they saved Tret in Kolima Forest.

"Okay. We'll head back for Izumo tomorrow. If anyone has a problem with it, they can wait back in Prox for us. Ivan _does_ have the Teleport Lapis… I don't really see much of a problem with this. Maybe with Jenna… but Felix and the others will overrule her," Isaac said, reassuring her that no one would really oppose going back to Izumo, especially when Felix and his team were considered honored guests in Lady Uzume's house. "I'll ask everyone tomorrow morning after breakfast." Mia sniffed hard and wiped her eyes, looking up at Isaac with a smile on her face.

"You really mean that?" she asked. Isaac smiled and kissed her forehead again and nodded.

"Absolutely."

The next morning, Isaac proposed the question to the group about going back for Mia's Oracle's Robe. As expected, only Jenna had a problem with this, but was soon (however reluctantly) convinced they needed to leave thanks to help from Felix, Garet, and Sheba. Sheba, unfortunately, had become the middleman (or middlewoman, in her case) between the whole "Jenna hates Mia" thing. Even though she had known Jenna longer, it was hard not to get along with Mia. She was so nice and polite, and was very meaningful about it. However, Jenna hated Mia with a passion for being an item with Isaac when (in Jenna's strange world) he should have flocked right to _her_, not that blue-haired siren of the snow. As one could tell, Jenna thought of Mia as a man-stealer because she just wouldn't let herself get to know Mia. Well, that's Mars Adept stubbornness for you!

They agreed to leave around mid-afternoon, seeing as the sun wouldn't even be up on that side of Weyward for another few hours. Sheba walked over to Mia half-way through her packing.

"Mia, are you _trying_ to make Jenna even madder at you?" Sheba meant well, and even though she could pull off subtlety with aplomb, she just didn't use it and was therefore very blunt. Mia looked at her younger friend and shook her head.

"Why does Jenna still hate me so much?" Mia was just as confused as ever. She had traveled with _Garet_ of all people, so she should have known about Mars Adept stubbornness ("Come _on_, guys! We've got to get going if we're going to save Jenna!"). However, she just couldn't see how hard it was to just get along with someone. Especially her! Mia was a Water Adept and usually just went with the flow, but Jenna irked her so much with her attitude towards her that she almost disliked the fiery redhead. Of course, she couldn't not like someone just because of a disposition against her; Jenna was nice enough to the others, especially Isaac… but she wouldn't go into that. It caused her great pain to think that there might be some (however infinitely small) chance that Isaac could break up with her for Jenna.

"She doesn't _hate_ you, Mia. She's just jealous that Isaac loves you, and not her, at least in the same way he does you," the blonde said, smirking. Mia looked at her friend curiously.

"What do you mean?" Sure, Sheba had the ability to read minds, just like Ivan, but she hadn't used them to find out _gossip_… had she?

"Well, being one of the group's token therapists, I get everyone coming to me for their own issues, and it seems that Isaac thinks of Jenna as a little sister, not as a datable person." Mia just looked at Sheba, eyes widened in shock. Isaac thought of Jenna as a little sister?

"Are you quite serious?" she asked, just in case Sheba was playing some horrible trick on her.

"Absolutely. He loves Jenna, don't doubt that… but he really only looks after her as Felix does. It's never actually occurred to him to think that they could technically date, and even if he did, he wouldn't think of it, knowing how much he loves you," Sheba replied, smiling her not-so-innocent-but-totally-acting-like-it smile. "Don't worry about Isaac leaving you; he never would," she said, then walked off, knowing full well the surprise Isaac had planned for Mia after this quest was over. Mia watched the blonde girl walk away, wonder just why Sheba had sounded so sneaky with that last comment, but then eventually shrugged and went back to packing.

A few minutes later, Sheba walked purposely to Jenna to get it through the stubborn redhead's thick skull that Mia wasn't the horrible shrew Jenna had her pegged as.

"Hi, Jenna, whatchya doin'?" she asked nonchalantly. Jenna shot Sheba a glare. Sheba just stood there, immune to Jenna's ability to make huge hulking men cower at her feet.

"I know you were talking to Mia just now. Why?" she asked, knowing Sheba had something up her sleeve. Sheba didn't even try to sugarcoat what she was about to tell Jenna.

"Jenna," she started, "you need to stop bullying Mia. I know you don't actually hate her, but you really don't like that Isaac pays no attention to you the way he does to Mia. She's not the bad person you make her out to be; everyone knows this. Maybe you're just too stubborn to admit that all her grounding qualities are what made Isaac fall in love with her in the first place. Maybe you just don't like seeing your childhood crush like someone else," she continued, knowing full well it was both. "Whatever it is, you have to move on. You and Garet love each other probably just as much as Isaac and Mia do, so I really don't see your position against Mia justified. If you continue to upset her as you have in the past, I'm going to have to ask Felix for help. He's the only one besides me who you'll listen to and actually do what he says, so I'm sure you'll stop if he says to. However you wish to proceed is up to you. Jenna," she said, in a kinder tone, "you and Mia are both my friends, and I can't stand to see you and her in this battle of persons. I hate it and I really wish you would stop, if not for Mia's sake, but for mine." Sheba looked at her friend sadly and walked away, leaving Jenna speechless at her best friend's blatant declaration.

Mid-afternoon finally came and everyone was eager to leave, for they would have to return as soon as possible. Everyone gathered around Ivan, who held the Teleport Lapis out in front of him.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" he asked, waiting for eight hands to come into contact with some part of him so no one would be left behind. Everyone nodded and took their places and handholds on him and he took a deep breath. "Let's hope I don't accidentally Teleport us into the sea again…" he trailed off. The last time they Teleported was just after defeating the Sentinel in the Sea of Time Isle to go back to Yallam to have some things forged from Sunshine. Let's just say things didn't go swimmingly… but that's a whole different story.

Everyone held their breath in anticipation. Ivan activated the Lapis and held his own breath.

After a few tense moments in the space-time vortex, the party finally reappeared, just outside the limits of Izumo, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, some of the guys patting Ivan on the back for a good job. They had only recently obtained the Teleport Lapis and using it as he just did was tricky. Without a Teleport Circle, it was difficult to do as complications of where everyone who's touching the Lapis' user would be thinking of a slightly different site to reappear at.

As they entered Izumo, they were all greeted with expressions of happiness and recognition. Before the two teams had joined up after the firing of Jupiter Lighthouse, they had both made it to Izumo, seemingly right after one another. Quite literally, Isaac's party had entered Izumo just a day after Felix's party had left.

Mia and Isaac left the rest of the group to their own devices and made their way to the market. Isaac could tell Mia was fraught with worry. _What if someone else bought it?_ Mia thought. She was so nervous about it that Isaac had to catch her as she tripped over her Triton's Ward.

"Mia! Be careful, sweetheart, I don't want you to fall," he said, righting her after he caught her. Mia blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Isaac, but I can't shake the feeling that someone bought it! I mean, it's been almost three months since I sold it…" she trailed off. Isaac gave her a squeeze and guided her forward.

"I'm sure that if someone did, they would understand and either accept our money to buy it from them, or just give it back out of kindness," he reassured her. Even with Isaac's optimism, Mia still felt a horrible sensation at the pit of her stomach.

They entered the shop and were greeted by the woman behind the counter.

"Welcome, welcome, Isaac and Mia!" she said, recognizing the pair immediately. "If you need it, we've got it! What can I help you find?" Isaac nudged Mia forward. They had agreed that she would do this, seeing as it was her item she had sold.

"Umm… I, uh… Do you remember that robe set I sold you a while back?" she asked hopefully.

"Absolutely! It was gorgeous and I just had to have it in my store! What about it?"

"Well…. Umm… Do you still have it?" she asked timidly. The shopkeeper smiled knowingly. Poor girl wanted her robe back…

"As a matter of fact, I don't, but I'm sure Lady Uzume would love to give it back. She bought it shortly after you sold it to me, thinking she could wear it for next year's festival. She hasn't worn it yet, if that was what you were worried about," she added, trying to keep the poor girl from tears. Mia nodded and exhaled loudly.

"Thank you, ma'am, we'll go see Lady Uzume right away. As you can see from her distressed state, Mia really wants it back," Isaac said, taking the pressure off of Mia, who was fighting to hold back tears.

"No problem, Isaac! Lady Uzume should be back from her morning walk by now, so you should be able to find her at her estate in the north of town," she said, nodding back. "Have a good day, and come back any time!" she shouted cheerfully as Isaac waved at her with one hand and led Mia out with the other.

They stopped under a tree just on the edge of town and Mia broke down into tears. Isaac held her and shushed her as much as he could.

"Mia, sweetie, it's ok, we'll just go and ask Lady Uzume if she can give it back. I'm sure it won't be a problem," he said, trying hard to soothe her.

"B-but, I c-can't ask Lady Uzume f-for the robe b-back n-now," she replied between sobs. "Sh-she bought it for next year's f-festival and I-I j-just _can't_ a-ask for it now…" Mia continued to cry on Isaac's shoulder for another ten minutes until she just didn't have any more tears left to cry, which meant she was extremely depressed because she's a Water Adept! She shouldn't be running out of liquid anything!

Isaac stroked her hair and wiped excess tears off of her face. He turned Mia to look at him and his heart just melted when he saw the look of pure hopelessness on her face. "Oh, sweetie, it'll be fine. Come on, we'll go right now and see how flexible Lady Uzume will be on this issue." Mia nodded and took a deep breath. Isaac squeezed her in a bracing hug and held her hand as they walked to the large house at the north of town.

Mia thought her heart would stop when Isaac knocked on the door. One of Lady Uzume's maids answered the door.

"Sir Isaac! Lady Mia! How wonderful an honor this is! Come in, come in and I'll fetch Lady Uzume for you!" she exclaimed, obviously excited about the return of such grand visitors. They walked in, noticing a butler closing the door behind them, and then proceeded to the sitting room and sat down to wait for Lady Uzume. A few minutes later, in she walked with all grandeur that she possessed from the last time they had seen her.

"Isaac, Mia! So good of you to visit again so soon! So I assume you caught up with Felix?" she asked, mild curiosity lacing her words.

"Yes, actually, but we're not done with our quest as of yet…" Lady Uzume frowned a little.

"Then how did you get here so quickly? From what I gathered from some of the maids who had been in town, you met up with Felix all the way in Atteka." Lady Uzume was quite confused.

"Well, we discovered a new Psynergy that allows us to cross large distances in the blink of an eye almost," Isaac explained. Mia just sat there, hands nervously fidgeting, which was quite obvious to Lady Uzume, who said nothing about the act.

"Ah, I see. So what brings you here as of this moment?" she asked coyly. Isaac looked at her suspiciously, as if he thought she knew why they were here.

"Well, you see…" he started, and then proceeded to tell Lady Uzume everything, almost bringing Mia to tears again.

"Well, I see no reason not to return it, given the current circumstances. I usually have my festival attire custom made anyway, but the robe was just so enticing, I had to purchase it. Although it was a little pricey…" she said, as if she were reconsidering giving it back.

"Oh, but we are fully prepared to pay you back for it, even if it means paying more for it than you did, Lady Uzume," Isaac said, but Lady Uzume had already started shaking her head.

"Oh, no, I couldn't have that; I'll just give it back. I'll have one of the maids fetch it from my closet." Mia's eyes lit up.

"Oh, really? Lady Uzume, you can't possibly mean…" Mia started, but Lady Uzume smiled.

"Mia, my dear, I can see that the robe means much more to you than it would ever mean to me. Please, take it and be joyous again! You were so happy the last time you were here and I so hate to see you looking so upset. Besides, I would have worn it once, then put it back into my wardrobe never to see the light of day again. I'll just get fitted for a custom gown again like I do every year. Really, Mia, I must insist," she said, watching Mia's eyes start shining with tears again, this time joyful ones.

"Oh, Lady Uzume, I can't thank you enough, you don't know how much this means to me!" Mia exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear. Isaac sight contentedly and basked in Mia's happiness. He was glad to see her spirits lifted again, despite how much trouble they went to to get the robe back.

A few minutes later, a maid rushed in with the robe on a hanger and presented it to Mia, who immediately took it in her arms and hugged it to her, as if it were a long lost childhood teddy bear. Isaac chuckled at the site of his beloved holding the garment to her chest and smiled at her. Lady Uzume was just glad to see the robe back in its proper place.

"Well, now that everything is back in order, shall we find the rest of your group, or did you two come alone?" Lady Uzume asked.

"No, they're all here, somewhere…" Isaac replied.

"Excellent, I'll have you all here for dinner, and then for the night! I can't imagine where you came from, but you must have come from somewhere far to the west to look so day worn at noon!" she laughed. Isaac smirked and settled an arm around Mia, who was looking at Lady Uzume with the utmost respect, not expecting her to just hand over the robe like that.

The group left early the next morning, Lady Uzume skipping her morning's walk to see them off.

"Good luck, everyone!" she said, "I hope you find success in lighting Mars Lighthouse, and hope you hold to your promise to come back once your quest is finally at its end!" Lady Uzume was waving with most of the rest of the village, including Susa and Kushinada, who was happily with child.

"Don't worry, Lady Uzume, we'll return with good news and many stories to tell!" Felix replied.

"Thank you for everything, Lady Uzume. I promise to take good care of my robe and never sell it again!" Mia said, hugging the garment as it hung about her delicate form. Lady Uzume smiled.

"Farewell!" everyone said, walking out of town with smiles on their faces and confidence for the last part of their journey ahead.

Nearly a year had passed since this whole thing began, but now it was over. Mars Lighthouse was lit, and everyone was going home. Well, they were headed toward Vale, or what used to be Vale, whatever the case would be. Kyle had already accepted Mia as a member of his family happily when he found out that she and Isaac had been dating for almost nine months and had been sharing sleeping quarters for six of those months. They were well into their relationship, and nothing, and no one, was going to stop them, no matter how much Jenna tried. Kyle completely supported their union, much to everyone's surprise, and in Jenna's case, chagrin. All that was left was for Isaac to propose, which his father constantly teased the two about. On one such occasion, he and Jenna's parents (who also supported Isaac's and Mia's relationship (!)) really toed the line between teasing and harassing.

"Isaac, my boy! Have you finally proposed to this lovely, blue-haired young lady?" Kyle asked. Jenna's parents snickered. Both Isaac and Mia blushed redder than Garet's hair.

"Not yet, Dad! So please stop asking!" Isaac replied, getting even redder, if that was technically possible.

"Well, get on with it, boy!" Jenna's father chimed in. "Not everyone here can wait forever!" All three of them erupted with laughter.

"Agh, please, cut it out!" Isaac protested.

"But, sweetie, your mother would just love to start planning your wedding!" Jenna's mother chided. They laughed even harder than before at that last comment, causing both Isaac and Mia to sink lower in their seats at the table in the kitchen area of Piers' boat.

"What's going on in here?" the aforementioned Lemurian said, walking in from the deck.

"Oh, nothing, just the adults embarrassing the crap out of me and Mia…" Isaac replied, positively annoyed at his father and Jenna's parents. Piers just smiled and chuckled.

"Ah, the embarrassing abilities of our parents, how it irritates us all!" Piers said, laughing with the three adults in question, earning a glare from Isaac, and a groan from Mia.

After discovering Vale completely gone but everyone alive, including Dora, Isaac's mother, everyone helped rebuild Vale about 3 miles from the cliff that used to be the gate out of the village. Mia and Isaac had built themselves a house of their own, making sure to build it as far from Kyle and Dora as was possible. However, that didn't stop the two embarrassing adults from visiting every day. Dora always asked Mia what she thought about this or that for the wedding, and Mia would reply with the usual response: "Sorry, ma'am, but he hasn't asked me yet…" then proceeding to talk about how she should respond, what was too dramatic, what wasn't enough. Mia sat through it all with a tinge of pink on her cheeks and took it all in, just in case she actually needed the advice. Kyle would pester his "slacker of a son of his" to propose already and start giving him and Dora some grandchildren, at which Isaac would pale to that of a white sheet, then swallow hard and nod for effect.

Finally, the day came when Isaac had decided he would do it. New Vale had chosen to hold an annual festival in honor of the lighthouses finally being relit and saving the world, and Isaac thought that there wouldn't be a better time to ask Mia to marry him. He had already picked out and bought the perfect ring to propose with: a silver band set with a blue gem, just the right shade to match her eyes. Not too fancy, but definitely not plain, just as Mia was. _His_ Mia. Oh, how he hoped she would say yes.

The festival would kick off at sunset, then continue on throughout the night until sunrise the next morning. He had bought a new outfit just for the evening: a white jacket over a navy blue shirt with white pants, dark tan leather boots and his matching trademark scarf in the same blue as the shirt. Isaac dropped the ring in its box into his left pants pocket and stepped outside. The air was sweet with the fragrances of the fruit trees in bloom, not a cloud in sight, with a gorgeous view of the sunset in the background behind what was left of Mt. Aleph. Mia had decided she would get ready for the evening at Sheba's, not wanting Isaac to see her dress until it was time to leave for the festival. _Well,_ thought Isaac, _it's time to go pick up my future wife_.

He knocked on the door of Sheba's house, feeling the same, but somehow different, jitters that he had felt when he and Garet had started their journey over a year ago. Sheba answered the door and smiled. "Hi, Isaac!" she said. He thought she looked nice in a purple dress with spaghetti straps and pastel green flats to match her eyes. "Come on in, Mia's almost ready!" Sheba closed the door behind Isaac as he walked in, expecting Sheba to either Mind Read him, or just keep her knowing smirk. She'd known for a very long time that Isaac had bought a ring to propose with and had been planning to do just that when the journey was over.

"Mia!" she called up the stairs. "Isaac's here to pick you up!"

"O-Ok! I'll be down in a minute!" Mia replied. She was very nervous. She didn't know if she looked perfect or not. She fiddled with her hair a last time, then took a deep breath and started down the stairs. Isaac's mouth was slightly open as he watched Mia descend the stairs, hardly believing his eyes. She was wearing the Cocktail Dress he had won for her in Tolbi almost a year ago. The canary yellow of the dress went perfectly with the tone of her eyes and her hair, and the ribbon holding her hair back in an elegant ponytail was the exact same color of the dress. She was wearing white high heels and had a white purse that hung from her shoulder down to her hip with a thin strap. She was perfect.

"Isaac, your mouth is open," Sheba said, still refusing to be subtle. He closed it immediately and blushed, as did Mia, who knew he was admiring _her_ walking down the stairs. Isaac offered her his arm and she took it, still blushing. There was another knock at the door. Sheba opened the door to Ivan.

"Oh, good, Isaac's already here. Can we get going, we'll be the last ones there if we dawdle too much," he said, taking note of the pink tinge still staining his friends' cheeks and smiling at Sheba, who smiled back. "Sheba, my dear, you look wonderful," he said, offering her his arm, which she took, locking the door behind her as they all left.

The party was huge. It looked like many people had come from out of town to attend this new celebration. Ivan and Sheba left Mia and Isaac at the entrance and headed straight to the dance floor.

"I guess that's why Sheba wore flats," Mia said nervously, laughing a little. Isaac just looked at her with a smile on his face. Mia blushed some more. Isaac thought she looked gorgeous. The gloss on her lips was tantalizing to him, as if it wanted him to kiss her, right there, but he held himself in check. The big kiss of their evening was for later.

"Come, let's go get something to eat," he said, leading her into the party.

They had a wonderful time. The food was excellent, as was the service. The best part was that it was all free. Everyone could have a good time for just coming down to the excitement. Finally, Isaac asked Mia if she would like to take a walk with him, and she readily agreed. He brought her to the last tree that still stood from the old Vale. He cupped her cheek in his hand, then took a deep breath.

"Mia, you are the most wonderful person I've ever been around. You're smart, funny, beautiful, and most of the time you're a happy, loving person. I love you so much, I wouldn't know what to do if you ever went away," he said, making her blush. Then, still holding her left hand in his right, he lowered himself to one knee and took out the box from his left pocket. Mia took in a breath quickly, realizing what was about to happen. Isaac opened the box and pulled the ring out, putting it on her left ring finger. "Mia," he started, "would you marry me?" he asked. He held his breath, as Mia's eyes had widened, and he couldn't read her expression. Nothing Dora ever told her could have prepared her for this moment.

"Yes! A thousand times yes!" she exclaimed, happy tears streaking down her face as she hugged him around his neck. He stood them up and held her close, joy and relief spilling over his form. "Oh, Isaac," she said, "I didn't think this day would ever come!" As they parted, he saw that she was still crying. He kissed her deeply, knowing they would always be like this from now on, happy. She returned the kiss with every fiber of her being, never wanting it to stop, but a new voice from behind them interrupted their moment.

"Finally! Sheesh, took you two long enough!" They turned to see Garet and most of their party, Jenna not with them, for obvious reasons, but they didn't care, they just hugged each other again and smiled as everyone led them back to the party, congratulating them and the guys punching Isaac in the shoulder for taking so long to ask Mia to marry him. And that was how they liked it, forever more.

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**upwind: so? how was it ^_^ feel free to give me CONSTRUCTIVE critisism because flames such as stuff like "you suck! stop writing b****!" will be ignored... or used to toast my muses...**

**CSeph and CCloud: meep...**

**upwind: anway... review please ^-^ and thanks for reading!**


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